From the Editor's Desk: Buckle up, it's Week 9

Kristina Costabile

CFL.ca

@kcostabile1

Is anyone else really, really excited to see Tre Ford this week?

I’m such a fan of the Canadian pivot. He’s exciting and so fun to watch, which is exactly what the CFL is all about.

My fellow CFL.ca writer, Matthew Cauz, put together his favourite Ford moments from 2023 and there were so many that had me saying, “how did he do that??” I’m counting down the minutes until Saturday’s kickoff in Saskatchewan to see more.

I’m looking forward to the other three matchups as well, with the Lions and Bombers welcoming back two star receivers in Keon Hatcher and Lucky Whitehead, respectively, the Ticats facing a measuring stick game against Montreal, and Ka’Deem Carey going back to where it started as the Argos take on the Stampeders.

Buckle up, CFL fans, were in for a good one.

Here’s my CFL Fantasy team for this week:

QB – Vernon Adams Jr. ($14,300) CAPTAIN
RB – William Stanback ($11,500)
RB – Ka’Deem Carey ($11,500)
WR – Kurleigh Gittens Jr. ($9,000)
WR – Tyson Philpot ($10,000)
FLEX – Shemar Bridges ($4,500)
DEF – Toronto Argonauts ($8,500)

Vernon Adams Jr. has been a great choice for a quarterback this season, with seven games of over 20 FP including one where he hit 32.5 FP against Hamilton. Coming back from the bye, and coming off a performance he’d likely rather forget against the Stampeders in Week 7, Adams Jr. should go back to his regular scheduled programming.

At running back, I’m going with William Stanback and Ka’Deem Carey. Stanback is going against a defence that is giving up a league-high 116.9 yards per game on the ground and is giving up 182 rushes per game (most in the CFL). He should be able to find some holes in that from seven that is allowing 5.1 yards per carry. Carey is going against his former team for the first time, which should be motivation enough for the rusher to want to run hard. The Stampeders give up a league-high 6.2 yards per carry on the ground, which should allow for Carey to add some chunk plays to his resume on Sunday.

Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Tyson Philpot are my receivers this week. I’m not sure who Tre Ford’s favourite target is going to be in Edmonton but Gittens Jr. was the most targeted receiver for McLeod Bethel-Thompson and was one of the three pass-catchers to haul in a Ford touchdown late last week. Philpot is the guy in Montreal and if it’s Cody Fajardo (he’s available for the game) or Davis Alexander starting, they’ll be looking for him early and often against the Tiger-Cats.

My FLEX player this week is Shemar Bridges. He’s been a nice surprise for Hamilton in his first CFL season and has been the second-most targeted receiver (54 targets) behind Tim White (59 targets). He’s only $4,500 as well, so the value is there.

And finally, my defence is the Toronto Argonauts. I wasn’t expecting such a good defensive performance from the Argos last week, but they got me 20 FP against Winnipeg. I’m hoping for much more of the same against the Stampeders this week.

KRISTINA’S PICKS (make your picks here!)

BC at Winnipeg
Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET

BC has been fantastic through the first eight weeks of the season and with Keon Hatcher returning to the lineup, Vernon Adams Jr. has some incredible pass-catchers to choose from. Winnipeg hasn’t been the Winnipeg of old and I don’t think they will be able to defeat the red-hot Lions this week.

PICK: BC

Montreal at Hamilton
Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET

Hamilton’s on a two-game winning streak. Bo Levi Mitchell has been great this season and so has James Butler, who’s been a focus of the Ticats offensive attack on the ground and through the air. The team has a tough task against the Als defence this week, but I think the momentum from their last few wins will give fans at Tim Hortons Field something to cheer about on Friday night.

PICK: Hamilton

Edmonton at Saskatchewan
Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET

I know what you’re thinking, Kristina, how could you pick an 0-7 team to win against a 5-2 team? Well, I’m picking the underdog this week because I think Tre Ford‘s first start will provide the Elks some energy and confidence as they head to Mosaic Stadium. Last week’s three touchdowns were in garbage time against Hamilton so it won’t be as easy for Edmonton’s pivot when he faces the league’s best defence against the run and in forcing turnovers. That being said, I still think Ford leads the Elks to their first win this weekend.

PICK: Edmonton

Toronto at Calgary
Sunday, 7:00 p.m. ET

This was the toughest game for me to pick a winner in. Both teams have had some pretty big wins this season; Toronto defeated Montreal in Week 4 while Calgary took down the BC Lions in Week 7. But both have also had their struggles; the Stamps are coming off a game where they only managed to score six points against the REDBLACKS and though the Argos won in overtime against Winnipeg, they did not score an offensive touchdown last week. For me, it comes down to the Stamps record at home and they’re a perfect 3-0 at McMahon Stadium.

PICK: Calgary

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